Blacksmith39

I just got myself a super sucker forge hood and I’m loving it. I couldn’t find a 12” pipe but a friend of mine gave me some 13” that’s working really well. I’m concerned that the pipe might be galvanized. I’m not sure how to tell if it is for sure. If it is in fact galvanized will that be a problem? I know galvanized releases toxic fumes if it gets hot enough but will the chimney reach that high of a temperature? I don’t want to be breathing in toxic fumes. I’d like to know what folks think about this. Thanks in advance

Thank you everyone for all the super helpful suggestions and advice! I commissioned a welder I know to make a super sucker forge hood for me. I’m looking forward to finally fixing the smoke problem. I’ll also be adding a better support system for my new chimney.

I hadn’t even thought about the cap being part of the problem. It definitely could be part of it. I’m going to look into the super sucker design. I had heard of it before but didn’t really know what it was. I am also definitely going to get a 10” or 12” pipe.

Sorry I forgot to add photos. Here are a few. My shop is very open and has lots of airflow so I don’t think that’s the problem. Thank you everyone for all the input so far!

For a while I’ve had a smoke problem in my shop. My shop is too smokey almost all the time. I have a large Centaur Forge hood and an 8” stove pipe. My chimney doesn’t go straight up through the roof as I’ve seen a lot of blacksmith shops do. It goes through the side of my shop then straight up. I really am not sure what to change to make my chimney draw better. It’s like it just can’t draw all the smoke, only some of it. That makes me wonder if I just need a larger stove pipe but I wanted to ask opinions before I just start trying everything. Hope someone has some suggestions. It is much appreciated! Thank you!! Merry Christmas

I recently purchased a Champion 400 blower and I’m not sure what the most efficient way to clean it up is. The guy I bought it from said it hadn’t been used in a long time. It cranks smoothly and appears to be in excellent condition it’s just rusty. I want to clean it up really good before I oil it and start using it. I’m not sure how I should remove the rust and the gunk that’s inside the fan case. I’ve been wire wheeling parts of the outside of it but that’s taking forever and I know there’s probably plenty of better ways to do it. Any advice and tips on how to clean it up would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

Thanks for all the input! I’m definitely going to completely stop leaving pieces without any finish! I didn’t realize I hadn’t put my location so I just added it to my profile:) thanks!!

For a while now I’ve been finishing certain pieces I make by wire wheeling them so they look silver colored instead of black. I’m always a little concerned about rust though. I coat a lot of the pieces with clear gloss Rustoleum if I know it’s going to be outside or around a lot of moisture (like a towel ring or towel holder etc.). Is that a good coating or will it still rust? I’ve never gotten any complaints but I don’t want to wait for that to happen. Also items that are pretty small like Christmas ornaments, pendants, and hair pins that I wire wheel I leave without a finish because I know they are probably not going to be exposed to much if any moisture. Should I be coating these with something? I don’t like to paint steel so I only do it when I have to. I’m wondering if I should just stay away from doing the polished finish in the future but I kinda hate to because a lot of people love the silver colored finish that wire wheeling gives it. Maybe I should just wax and oil everything when it comes outta the fire like I do with almost everything else I make. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Thanks!

I wondered if that would work. I’ve used a brass brush before but didn’t know if it’d work with copper. I’ll give it a try! Thanks

Hey everyone! A customer of mine asked if I could do a custom finish on some items. The only problem is I’ve never done a finish like this one. I’m willing to give it a try though. Does anyone know what this type of finish is called and how it could be done? Here’s the pic the customer sent me